A monk stood before the Holy Roman Emperor and refused to take back a single word

Summoned to the Diet of Worms in 1521 to answer for his writings, Martin Luther was ordered to recant his challenges to Church doctrine in front of Emperor Charles V and the assembled princes of the empire. He refused, reportedly declaring his conscience was bound by Scripture. The emperor declared him an outlaw days later, but the trial turned Luther into the figurehead of a religious split that would reshape Europe.

— Holy Roman Empire imperial records, Diet of Worms (1521) — Worms, April 1521